In our latest report, Community Foundations for Civic Health: Learning & Action in 2025 and Directions for 2026, we invite you to explore the growing momentum behind civic health and the essential role community foundations play in strengthening it.
Community Foundations for Civic Health (CFCH), an initiative of CFLeads in partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation, the National Civic League, and others, is grounded in a shared vision: enabling community foundations across the country to confidently advance civic health and achieve meaningful local impact at a national scale. Through this initiative, community foundations are leveraging their community leadership to coordinate local efforts, develop tailored strategies, access critical resources, and learn alongside peers committed to this work.
Civic health is fundamental to thriving communities. It reflects the strength of relationships among individuals, between residents and institutions, and with the places people call home. Strengthened through civic participation, access to trusted information, volunteerism, and opportunities for engagement, civic health fosters connection, trust, and resilience. When these conditions are weak or unevenly distributed, divisions deepen and inequities persist – underscoring the importance of intentional and sustained investment in this work.
In 2025, CFCH engaged leaders from 168 community foundations across 45 states through virtual sessions and a national summit in Chicago. The response was clear: there is not only strong interest in civic health, but a readiness to act. Community foundations are moving beyond exploration toward implementation, generating practical ideas and advancing tangible strategies to strengthen civic life.
This report captures that momentum. It highlights key insights and emerging practices from 2025 – including approaches to language, measurement, and investment – and reflects the voices of leaders across the country. It also points toward opportunities for continued progress and collaboration in 2026 and beyond.
We invite you to engage with these learnings and consider how, together, we can build stronger, more connected, and more resilient communities.
For more information about Community Foundations for Civic Health, please email civichealth@cfleads.org.
